Birkbeck, University of London

University

French Studies

This programme is designed for those who wish to undertake postgraduate study in French and, in particular, those who would like to take an MA with a French studies focus, but who need to bring their written French up to the right level, or who do not have a BA honours qualification in an appropriate discipline. It can also be taken by students with a qualification at, or near, BA level who would like to take a 1-year qualification, with courses chosen from a diverse and challenging syllabus.

Entry requirements

Normally a 1st degree in a subject other than French studies or modern languages. Language skills in French equivalent to A-level plus 2 years (also equivalent to a pass in French 5). If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.

Course modules

You will normally take a high-level French language module (French 5) and choose 60 credits of options from a range of French content and culture options. Different modules are offered in any given year; the following is a sample of the modules that may be offered.
French language module:

French 5.
French option modules:

La France déchirée: Aspects de l'histoire contemporaine français;

La France des années noires;

Le roman français contemporain;

Mémoire en français;

Modern French Poetry;

Montaigne;

Racine;

Reading Text and Image in the Eighteenth Century: Diderot and the Tableau;

Sensibility and Sociability in the Eighteenth-Century French Novel;

The French Novel of Disillusionment;

The French Short Story: From Balzac to Maupassant;

Transgression in Nineteenth-Century French Culture;

Translation from and into French.
Culture option modules:

Beating Nature: Artificiality, Imitation and Simulation;

Film and Politics;

Representations of Love, Desire and Sexuality;

The Twentieth Century: Key Themes in Comparative European History.

Assessment methods

For the language module and for other modules, assessment is by a combination of coursework and in-class tests.